I'm on the Medical Merry-Go-Round

I started having burning pains in my ankles, lower legs and feet about six months ago and went to a podiatrist. She said there are a lot of little veins in that area that can get blocked. She said to get some of those light support socks they sell at Walmart, the lightest compression strength. Also, it can be caused by sitting too much, or wearing anything tight that binds your legs/feet. In my case, the trouser socks I wear had tight elastic bands on them, which I've since cut off. She also mentioned more exercise to get the blood flowing. I'm assuming you've had your blood sugar checked out and are ok, cause all that sounds a lot like what happens to diabetics.

It's hard to find a "good" reflexologist. The best one I had was in Berkley Springs, WV, and when I asked her to recommend someone in my area (southwestern PA) she couldn't. She said she's posed as a client and called a lot of them, asking questions that they couldn't answer. She said most of them, at least the ones affiliated with "spas" usually take a brief course and that's it. This woman was really good. She was able to tell me things about different organs and my health that I didn't reveal to her beforehand, just by feeling the associated area of my feet, and give suggestions to help. Try to get a knowledgeable one, (ask questions like how long have they been doing it, what kind of training did they receive, etc.) if you can.

Also, begin to follow a diet that will reduce inflammation in your entire body.
 
I was just talking about pure peppermint extract used for cooking - can be added to tea or other things. You can get it at most grocery stores. I'm no expert, though. I really think DMSO gel would be a big help as well.
 
I have peppermint tea! Gonna make some right now. You know, I told these doctors I was diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy in 2000, after a fall that resulted in a broken bone in my right foot. I ended up with nerve damage in my brain stem, they told me. I couldn't walk for about 2 years and ended up in and out of hospitals and pain clinics for a long time. They put me on multiple antidepressants simultaneously, and one drug that put me into seizures every time my body began to relax or when I started to fall asleep. They put me on calcium channel blockers and methadone at the time. I eventually took myself off all of these drugs and also yanked a needle out of my belly that was infusing a supposedly numbing medication into me - since none of it was helping. They were ready to cut BOTh feet off at the time because the symptoms had mirror-imaged onto both legs up to the knees and in my right arm up to the elbow. it was the most bizarre thing that has ever happened to me. My feet were very contact and temperature sensitive and also would get so numb, I couldn't even feel it standing barefoot on ice in Wisconsin ( which I did once to show them just how numb my feet were at the time). My feet were very discolored like they are today, and very cold, usually. At one point, they were a purple black color. They said I would never walk again. The doctors don't think what is happening now has anything to do with that, for some reason, even though I was told in the past that I could have flare-ups and to be careful not to hurt myself or get 'stressed'. I had to teach myself how to walk again after being in a wheelchair and using a walker for the better part of two years. I've been pharmaceutical free ever since then, since all the drugs did was turn me into a zombie, and never really did anything to break the cycle of pain or to resolve the symptoms or fix the problem. They only compounded the problems I was already experiencing. I have been VERY leery of taking any pharmaceuticals since that time because of what I experienced during that time period and because of how wrong these doctors and specialists have been. Incidentally, I've walked thousands of miles since 2002. My father was on Procardia for several years before his death and there is no evidence that it did much to help him. One of the potential side effects of this drug is that it can slow down the heartbeat. Do I really need to start messing around chemically with my heart rate?
 
Peppermint extract is easy enough to get. I'm going to check out the DMSO too. Thank you all for the suggestions. The Reflexology also sounds like something worth trying.
 
Lisa Guliani said:
Hey, is a ganglionic cyst supposed to still look like it's a cyst the day after being aspirated? Mine does. Sheesh.
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No. I used to have one of those on my right wrist - thought it was from constantly being at a keyboard - it completely disappeared when I changed my diet. Completely (as did my asthma, joint pain, skin issues and weight issues and several other bothersome things that I took as 'normal' and 'getting older').
 
Lisa Guliani said:
Hey, is a ganglionic cyst supposed to still look like it's a cyst the day after being aspirated? Mine does. Sheesh.
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Could it be that it is not an actual ganglion cyst? I had a ganglion cyst diagnosis (after a ultrasound) a year or more ago of on the top of my right hand. It was pea-sized at the time and was told it would grow slowly. The surgeon also said it wouldn't do any good to aspirate it - that it was better to just let it grow until it was too big to accept and then have surgery. (?) Anyway, it finally did get really big (slice a golf ball in half) so we arranged surgery. Once he got in there, he realized it wasn't a ganglion cyst or a tumor but just a mass lump of benign tissue. He removed it and everything is fine now.

Just a FWIW.
 
I have no idea if it's really a ganglion cyst or not. The doctors said it is. Just another wrong move on my part, thinking they can do anything to help me. All they ever seem to do with me is make things worse or misdiagnose or use me for a guinea pig, which leads to 'making things worse'.
The cyst is very sore and looks just as big as it was before they jabbed me with the needle.
I'm not going back to them about it. Maybe I can get rid of it with the diet suggestions.
 
Ok! I got somebody to take me to the store and picked up organic peppermint extract for my tea, and all the stuff to make bone broth. Pretty amped up to make it in the morning....:-) Thank you for all the suggestions and advice, everyone. (((Hugs)))
 
Lisa Guliani said:
...One of the things I have feared most for myself personally is something like this happening, something with my health making it difficult or impossible to get to work and make a living. Keeping my job so I can survive. But in these times, I don't think that's an uncommon concern and it hasn't been freaking me out or anything.
...
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Worse yet, you can be told that you have something wrong with your health, and then "treated" until you really do. I have a few similar health issues, and my main strategy now is to stay away from doctors and their treatments unless I have good reason to do otherwise. Dietary changes have helped quite a bit, over time.

With my foot problems (swelling, numbness, discoloration), I found that the biggest trigger was sitting at a desk, at work. I have had trouble with my legs and feet ever since rupturing a lumbar disc in 1994. It affected the nerves, which in turn seems to affect other things. I figured out the problem with sitting within the last year or so (after previously increasing the amount of sitting I do when I changed jobs), and I have been doing less of it when possible, especially outside of work. Between that and the keto diet, my shoe size is back down to normal and I have been able to buy new shoes recently.

So look closely for clues, and don't let these doctors spook you into unnecessary treatments that cause even more problems. If not following their advice seems risky, it might be, but following their advice might be just as risky.
 
Agreed, Megan. Their advice so far has helped: Zero. The aspiration caused the cyst thing to refill overnight to double the size it was before - and now, it hurts like it never did before.
The cortizone shot in my elbow still hurts too, but I guess it will take however long for that to quit causing pain on top of the pain I went in to be treated for.
And, of course, they haven't gotten back to me about the appointment with the vascular doctor, so essentially, they haven't helped me at all thus far, except expose me to some radiation via x-ray. Which can't be considered 'helping'. The bone broth is cooking inn the pot. I'm hoping this will be my ticket to better health. I really need for it to work for me now.
 
Lisa Guliani said:
...The bone broth is cooking inn the pot. I'm hoping this will be my ticket to better health. I really need for it to work for me now.
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I am pretty sure that bone broth provides nutrients that we don't even know about. I have been working on getting more out of the bones that are left over from my weekly crockpot cooking. Cooking that way (beef ribs or lamb shank) produces a very rich broth all by itself.

Cooking the leftover bones for 24 hours or so produces another rich batch of gelatin. I am finding that I can cook the bones another two times after that and still produce a good broth, although more dilute each time. For the last two batches I break up the bones into smaller pieces, which is easy to do because by then they are soft. No sledge hammer needed. :)

I don't think that the bone broth -- for me, anyway -- directly helps my leg/foot problems. I do think it contributes to general nutrition and to gut health. From my reading and experimentation I am feeling fairly certain that gut health is central to health in general. Unfortunately, my gut is one area that has not responded dramatically to the paleo ketogenic diet. It has improved, but progress has been slow.

While it has been obvious for me that I have gut issues (it's a lifelong thing, in fact), gut problems can exist that show up elsewhere and not in the obvious places. Even mainstream medicine is starting to get wind of this, perhaps due to the volume of research that has been coming out, although don't hold your breath waiting for money-driven medicine to see the light.

It should not be a surprise that gut health would be so critical -- we don't have any other means by which we can take in raw nutrients, detoxify them, and transform them into what we need to be healthy. It parallels what we need to do with our minds to "digest" information properly.

Some people people try to get around this to some degree by taking supplements in place of eating nutritious food, but I don't see good evidence that this works. You can end up also bypassing regulatory functions, and reaching toxic levels of some nutrients while having shortages of others (and a shortage of one nutrient can cause a normal level of another to become toxic!).

So I think that it will prove essential to figure out how to make your gut happy, so to speak, in order to deal with many other health issues. But I am not sure how to do that, and it of course depends on its current condition. I am doing some experiments, with encouraging results, and more and more clues are being tossed out by paleo bloggers and authors, and a lot of research is being done.

I will comment on my experiments in the KD topic, when I have an opportunity.
 
Hi Lisa, I’m sorry to hear what you’re going through. In addition to DMSO 70% gel or liquid for inflammation, you may think about getting some pure Epsom salt/magnesium flakes from Swanson (a kilo is around $15) and take regular baths and/or foot baths. It is said to improve circulation and a great source of Magnesium, needed in about every cell process, including regeneration.

Another simple thing you can do is self foot massage (following the bath) with olive oil and essential oil.
I like to use cedar oil (I add about 10 drops per ½ cup of oil) and massage the lower leg and foot.

[quote author= essentialoilresources.com]
Essential oils commonly recommended to support circulation include: Cypress, helichrysum, grapefruit, ocotea, tarragon, basil, ylang ylang, and rosemary.
• Cypress improves circulation and strengthens blood capillaries. One study showed improved hair growth in balding individuals that may be attributed to improved circulation. (Sagorchev)

Interesting note: Cypress comes from a Greek word sempervivens, which means “live forever.” Also of interest, any of the oils that are from trees such as palo santo, cedarwood, ylang ylang and frankincense, are believed to provide stabilization, grounding and security to us, physically and emotionally.
[/quote]

I looked up what Edgar Cayce had to say on this subject – Cayce stated that “one massage is equivalent to a four mile walk”.
[quote author= The Edgar Cayce Remedies, William McGarey, MD]
It depends, of course, on the type of massage. The type of massage that increases circulation and improves neurological communication, for a massage sends literally millions of impulses throughout the neurological pathways of the body.
Cayce not only suggested full-body massages, but frequently gave information for localized massages that have benefit. The following extract is in regards to feet:
The massages as we find are very, very good. We would massage more in the bursa of the feet: as under the toe, in the instep and in the heel. The increasing of stimulation in this direction will cause the nerves of the ends of the sciatics to be enlivened. This will make twitching sensations at times in the calf of the leg, and in the thighs, but these will not be too aggravating and will indicate to the body that these is being reestablished the communications, as it might be called, between the lower limbs or the locomotories and body forces.
[/quote]

These are some inexpensive and easy things you can try at home to help improve circulation. And don’t forget about just simply elevating your feet, at least a few times a day. I don’t think I would take the poison pills. I’d look into natural vasodilators first.

Lastly, don't underestimate the power of pipe breathing. Oxygen is probably the cornerstone of most healing. Sending you strength. Keep us posted. :hug2:
 
Also, Lisa, you may want to consider earthing (grounding yourself to the earth). Go to this site just for a quick rundown on this and how you may utilize it to help alleviate your inflammation. I consider this part of the Paleo way of living, like the Paleo diet, etc.

http://earthinginstitute.net/
 
Update: Hi Everyone...:-)

Wow, when I titled this thread using the word Merry-Go-Round, I wasn't kidding.
An update on what's going on with me over the last month: I've now been seen by 4 doctors, two of whom are specialists. The latest specialist is a vascular surgeon.
He says he thinks I have vasculitis and Reynaud's disease, although the only test that's been done on me thus far was a Doppler study.
I seem to have an advanced case of whatever-it-is ( I've received now 4 diagnoses from all the different medical people involved over the last month.
The surgeon says my vasculitis and Reynaud's is triggered by smoking and by cold temperature.
I have dead tissue on my toes. My feet are in a pretty constant state of discoloration ( purple-ashen blue) - the discoloration has now spread beyond just the toes, but to the rest of the feet. There is also another change - pain throughout the feet, at the backs, the bottoms, tops and sides - in addition to the pain already existing in the toes.
It hurts very much to bear weight on my feet and to walk at all.
I've started using my old cane when I have to go anywhere. My legs are unsteady and I'm a little nervous about falling.
About two and a half weeks ago, my dog stepped on my left foot and I got an open wound which bled.
Although I've done my best to keep this clean and dry, it isn't healing due to insufficient blood flow to that area, so this also concerns me.
The surgeon tells me that I must throw away my cigarettes or lose my legs.
The symptoms of freezing cold have somehow now started affecting my arms and hands, which wasn't happening before - particularly my right arm and hand.
I'm told by the surgeon that if my condition doesn't improve in the next couple of weeks, he will want to hospitalize me and give me medicine ( likely via IV). I've read up on what hospitalization involves, and it looks like they treat people with steroids in high doses, depending upon what kind of vasculitis they have, severity, etc.
The surgeon says all the smaller vessels that feed blood to my skin in the feet are closed down. My feet are like ice.
He says this is very serious and if it doesn't improve, I may get parts of me cut off. Sigh.

Now, I've been reading the ketogenic thread ( and I may never ever catch up) and also searching this forum for any discussion about vasculitis and Reynaud's disease, to no avail. Maybe I've missed it, but I'm having trouble finding anything. So, any links to information on this would be very helpful to me, as I'm trying to become more informed about what's wrong with me and figure out how best to help myself.

I've not taken the Procardia that was prescribed for me several weeks ago. I am basically afraid to touch that crap. The surgeon says I also need to be taking an aspirin a day now, since I've started having some intermittent chest pain over the last week.

I have been using the sauna blanket daily,and it does hurt somewhat ( feet) and I think this is because it takes my feet normally hours to warm up even a little and there's always pain in the process. In addition, my feet turn to ice within minutes of getting out of the sauna blanket. Maybe if I could live in the sauna blanket, I could improve my condition....LOL. I have been told NOT to get cold at all. I don't see how this is possible, considering it's February in Pennsylvania. I'm cold all the time.

I have been using the reflexology sandals and circulation sandals Laura sent me, but the bottoms of my feet are extremely tender now. It makes wearing them difficult, to say the least. I can't tolerate wearing them as much as I'd like to. I have also been taking the Niacin and Vitamin E to try and open my vessels in a more natural way. I do not like the idea of taking an aspirin a day either. I have been applying the DMSO cream to my feet and lower legs daily.

I'm just wondering if what is wrong with me has passed into a stage where I might not be able to turn it around, or if it's just going to take me longer than I may have to turn it around, per the doctor. I have to keep going to these appointments because of my job/medical leave/Aflac insurance. I'm thinking I have like two weeks to get a handle on this or they're going to want to put me int he hospital and feed me drugs I really don't want to take. There are alot of risks associated with steroid use.

I've been very diligent about staying away from carbs and gluten, so at least in that respect, things are good.
The people around me * doctors, friends, etc.) are putting pressure on me to quit smoking and this is getting really obnoxious.
I've literally been smoking since I was a fetus. My mother smoked when she was pregnant with me.
I have no interest or desire to quit smoking. These people are not interested in any of the potential benefits of smoking tobacco. They just want to force their belief system upon me and if I do that, I fear that I'll have even more health problems down the road.

This situation with my feet has literally turned my entire life upside down. I can't even walk my dog now. In fact, the surgeon told me NOT to try. The cold is really bothering me when I do have to go outside and I wear so many layers and can't believe i am still freezing cold. The surgeon tells me I can no longer wear my favorite shoes ( trail runners) because my feet are cold. ( This is so lame, because they're cold no matter what I put on my feet.)

I'm being told to wear several layers of heavy socks and I've been looking into heated clothing options: heated gloves/mittens, socks and slipper boots.
The whole idea is to raise the temperature in my extremities. I can't seem to retain heat anymore on my own.

Added to all of the above, I suffered a week and a half of a very severe headache that at first I attributed to the onset of a bad cold I had during my first two weeks off of work for this problem with my feet. It didn't feel like a sinus headache to me and the pain seemed to be all in my temples and the top of my head. Skull-splitting. During that time, I took liposomal Vitamin C and my cold/sinus symptoms resolved in about 10 days. I still get the weird headache, though now it's intermittent and not as severe. But it feels like it's still there...I do not know if there is any connection between the headache and the problems with my circulation.

The surgeon says ( from listening with a stethoscope) that my major arteries are open.
I am trying not to become panicked or very alarmed by the things that are being said to me, or by the looks of my feet.
I have to admit though, this whole situation is beginning to depress me. I'm doing my best to fight that off with music, humor, and by writing in a journal.
My dog has been a real comfort. He makes me laugh, and as long as I can laugh, all is not lost....:-)

I appreciate any and all feedback on this and any links to info regarding cold temp/climate and vasculitis and Reynaud's disease I have missed.

I really don't want to be hospitalized. I also don't want to lose my legs, my feet or even a single toe.
I have two weeks to make something happen, I think.

Many thanks,

Lisa
 
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